The pharmaceutical market has traditionally been one of the largest advertisers in Ukraine. In the first half of 2019 alone, pharmaceutical manufacturers spent 1.5 billion UAH on TV advertising, a 25.6% increase compared to the same period in 2018. Advertising budgets for pharmaceuticals continue to grow, and there’s a saying among market participants: “Whoever launches their ads first wins the season”, such as the flu season.
However, the situation is somewhat different online. The pharmaceutical market, one of the largest advertisers in the country, allocates only about 30 million UAH of its advertising budget to media ads on the internet. These findings come from a study conducted by the smart planning digital agency Mediahead.
“Pharmaceuticals, as leaders in TV advertising, are only marginally represented online. The number of brands advertised on TV is significantly higher than online, while the number of advertisers is half as many. This indicates that most online players are manufacturers with a small product portfolio and turnover, which prevents them from competing on the TV advertising stage”, says Oleksandr Synyakov, a strategic planning specialist at Mediahead.
Pharmaceutical companies must increase their digital advertising budgets because 7 out of 10 European consumers search for health-related information online.
According to a study by the consulting firm IPSOS, search engines are now one of the most important sources of health information after doctors. Some 43% of consumers turn to this channel, with 75% of health-related search queries being conducted on mobile devices.
“Brands should already be utilizing search engine advertising throughout their entire communication cycle with consumers. This tool allows targeting the most engaged audience, and since payment is made per click, the investments are as cost-effective as possible”, says Vladyslav Heorhytsa, a strategic planning specialist at Mediahead.
Market Analysis
In the first half of 2019, the total sales volume across all categories in the “pharmacy basket” reached 48.9 billion UAH, a 16.6% increase compared to the same period in 2018. Dollar-equivalent sales also grew by 15.6%. By the end of the first half of 2019, pharmaceutical companies sold goods worth $1.8 billion. However, in physical terms, sales decreased by 1.8%, amounting to 846 million packages.
As for the pharmaceutical market, the sales volume in the first half of 2019 grew by 15% in both UAH and USD terms, reaching 40.6 billion UAH and $1.5 billion, respectively. However, physical sales decreased by 3% to 543.7 million packages.
